Stand up to Racism: A shared belief in humanity

Stand up to Racism: A shared belief in humanity

Imagine you’re in a restaurant on the banks of the Thames in London. You see a young boy running out of the restaurant being chased by a group of men. The boy has been injured and is heading for the water. You follow the commotion and watch him plunge into the River, his head bobbing to the surface as he gasps for air. There is a dinghy moored to the bank…how many of you would get in and row out to rescue him? Now imagine he’s 14 years old…black…in the ocean …would you still save him?

by Kate Dawson

So goes the rhetoric of Brendan Woodhouse, the Nottingham firefighter recently returned from Sea Watch 3, the last remaining refugee rescue ship in the Mediterranean. Sea-Watch 3 patrols the Libyan 24 nautical mile zone and actively searches for boats in distress. You can read Sea Watch's manifesto here.

Brendan was speaking at a meeting of Stand up to Racism, Chesterfield and North Derbyshire. A former Army medic, Brendan’s volunteering began with a trip to the Calais ‘jungle’ in 2015. He then joined the Sea Watch crew based at Lesvos, Greece, helping to rescue 6-8 people a day.

©James Lane and Huw Nicholls 2018

Above: Doro photographed on board Sea Watch 3.

© Brendan Woodhouse

Brendan described a young man, Doro, whohad been beaten and tortured by his Libyancaptors, who live-video messaged the brutalact to his mother to extort funds. He wasthen sold into slavery. He eventuallyescaped and made it to the sea and wasrescued by Sea Watch 3. Read Brendan'sfull account here.

According to the UN, one in 18 refugees dies attempting to cross the Mediterranean (Source: The Telegraph). Brendan describes giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to a small baby who had been thrown into the sea. She survived. Many others didn’t.

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The Chesterfield branch of Stand up to

Racism was formed in 2017 in order to support refugees holed up in the Calais ‘jungle’. They have continued to raise awareness and funds through events such as Rock for Refugees in Chesterfield, Love Music, Hate Racism in Matlock and the YNot festival.

Jane Bulko, a Stand up to Racism member, recently joined a mission led by Care4Calais . She recalls a competition amongst the male refugees using a barbering station they’d set up.

“These men with nothing but the clothes on their backs, competing to have the fanciest haircut: a poignant reminder of their humanity and dignity,” Jane reflected.

"On the whole the local community has been really supportive. A refugee family in a former mining village was donated a greenhouse by a neighbour. There have been some really wonderful acts of human kindness."Shaun w tumble

Stand up to Racism, which meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at the Monkey Park café on Chester Street, works closely with the Mosques and Christians Together in Chesterfield to look at ways to combat racism locally and support the refugees living in Chesterfield and the surrounding area.

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Hassan Hajat, a member of the Chesterfield

Muslim Association is a volunteer for Standup to Racism, providing volunteer support to refugee families, for example attending school meetings with them. He has also introduced them to other Syrian communities and taken them shopping for authentic foods in Sheffield and Derby.

“One of the main facets of the Muslim faith is that you look after your neighbour. The Stand up to Racism group has a shared belief in caring for humanity – we want to help refugees and the wider community,” he said.

Jeannie added: “Our volunteers visit the refugee families regularly. All the families have come from camps in Lebanon or Jordan. They are here under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme. We give practical support, help them practice their English, but our main role is just to be their friends; to be on their side.

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Above: Stand up to Racism at YNot Festival ©SutR

Jeannie Robinson describes whatshe’s learnt since setting upthe Stand up to Racism branch:

Work in partnership with as many other statutory organisations and support organisations as possible. We have a good relationship with Derbyshire County Council who really value the support we can offer refugee families. Tap into the resources and support provided by your local CVS. Links CVS Chesterfield has really helped us with advice on funding available. As well as connecting with the local faith groups, you need to engage people from as many other different cultures as possible, and don’t forget your local MP.

To find out more about Stand up to Racism visit standuptoracism.org.uk. The Chesterfield group is organising a coach to join the anti-racism protest in London on 16 March. Email Jeannie.rob48@gmail.com